L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 10 L'Italo-Americano M y g r a n d - m o t h e r used to say t h a t s a f - f r o n w a s more precious than gold, and she did have a point, as it had been for centuries one of the most costly spices. The word saffron, or "zaf- ferano" as we say in Italian, comes from the Arabic za'fer- an or, possibly, from the Per- sian sahafaran, which gave the Latin safranum. The Per- sian root "asfar" means "yel- low," which is the color this fragrant spice gives to all that it touches. Saffron comes from crocus sativus, a plant that originat- ed in Crete. As a spice - and a d y e ! - s a f f r o n h a s b e e n k n o w n s i n c e A n t i q u i t y : indeed, it is even mentioned in the Bible's Song of Songs, where it is counted among the most special of all herbs. Saffron flowers appear in the frescoes at Knossos and it is mentioned by the ancient Egyptians in their Papyrus of Ebers. More than a spice, as you can see, saffron is a piece of history. I n R o m e , s a f f r o n w a s used to make cosmetics and also as a fabric dye, as well as an ingredient in the kitchen. I n t h e M i d d l e A g e s , i t b e c a m e r a r e r a n d m o r e expensive, perhaps because it wasn't cultivated in loco and, with the end of the Empire, t h e r e w a s n o l o n g e r e a s y a c c e s s t o i t . H o w e v e r , medieval monks rediscov- ered it and began growing it again, especially in Abruzzo, Tuscany, Umbria, Sicily and Sardinia, where it's still cul- tivated today. In recent decades espe- cially, Italian saffron has b e c o m e a s y m b o l o f o u r M a d e i n I t a l y , b e c a u s e many young entrepreneurs w h o w a n t e d t o i n v e s t i n a g r i c u l t u r e a n d t h e l a n d , p e r h a p s t a k i n g a l e a f o f f their great-grandparents' old ways of living, picked it as their crop of choice. It is to one such venture, P i e d m o n t ' s S a f r a n u m , t h a t w e w a n t t o l o o k a t today. It all started in 2011, w h e n R o b e r t o L e m b o b o u g h t l a n d i n t h e h i l l s around Monforte d'Alba, i n t h e C u n e o p r o v i n c e , a town mostly known for its ties with wine and viticul- ture. We're, here, at the very h e a r t o f t h e L a n g h e , a n area awarded in recent years with UNESCO World Her- itage status. It was a life- c h a n g i n g m o m e n t f o r Lembo. He realized how his longing to live in closer con- tact with nature while taking a step back from the stress of modern life could also become an interesting busi- ness venture. E a s i e r s a i d t h a n d o n e , though, because his property was too large to be a family orchard but too small for the i n t e n s i v e c u l t i v a t i o n o f Langhe's traditional crops. Piedmont is close to France, so it's not so surprising that the solution came from a F r e n c h m a n L e m b o m e t s o m e t i m e l a t e r , a n d w h o told him everything about his new venture: growing saffron. Roberto thought over it a n d d i s c u s s e d i t w i t h a friend, Dario Dutto: they looked at one another and t h e d e c i s i o n w a s e a s i l y made, they were going to become saffron producers. And so, in 2013, after two years of research about saf- fron and the territory where t h e y w a n t e d t o g r o w i t , Safranum was born. Thanks to the precious m i c r o - c l i m a t e o f L a n g h e a n d , w e l i k e t o t h i n k , because of the care and love Roberto, Dario and their col- l a b o r a t o r s p u t i n t o i t , Safranum produces today some of the highest quality Italian saffron out there, but t h e r e i s m o r e . B e c a u s e Safranum doesn't only offer saffron, but also a series of h a n d m a d e p r o d u c t s l i k e chocolates, cookies, grappa and liqueurs, all with a spe- cial addition: zafferano. All great products, although the one that probably attracts more people is the saffron hazelnut and cocoa spread: basically, an artisanal ver- sion of a super-famous Ital- ian chocolate spread, with a saffron twist. W h a t s t r i k e s a b o u t Safranum is how its history a n d m i s s i o n h o l d w i t h i n some of the most iconic ele- ments of our Made in Italy: a wholesome vision created w i t h s o m e o n e c l o s e ( a friend, in this case), dedica- tion, respect for nature and the territory, hard work and, of course, creativity. N ot many know t h a t t h e i n v e n t i o n o f t h e t y p e - writer as we k n o w i t c o m e s f r o m t h e ingenuity of an Italian attor- n e y f r o m N o v a r a ( P i e d - mont), Giuseppe Ravizza (1811-1885). Because its keys were reminiscent of those of a p i a n o , a n o t h e r f a m o u s Italian invention, Ravizza called its creation cembalo scrivano, or writing clavier. In fact, the very mechanism Ravizza ideated was based on the way the instrument produces sound, keys hitting a hammer-like device that, in turn, "prints" letters on paper. It was 1837. Some years later, in 1855, Ravizza patented his inven- tion. In the file dedicated to it at the patent registry, the first typewriter is described as a "writing clavier, or a w r i t i n g m a c h i n e w i t h 3 2 square keys, in two lines one above the other, letters in the middle and punctuation at the sides." All the "ham- mers," each associated with a letter or punctuation mark, were placed in a circle, much l i k e t h e t y p e w r i t e r s w e know. The cembalo had an ink ribbon - again, just like m o d e r n t y p e w r i t e r s - a device to set the leading, and a little bell to let you know you reached the end of the line. T u r i n d a i l y L a S t a m p a p u b l i s h e d a n a r t i c l e s o o n a f t e r t h e p a t e n t w a s obtained, so Ravizza's inven- tion became known to the general public … and drama started. Celestino Galli, a m a n f r o m C a r r ù , i n t h e p r o v i n c e o f C u n e o , P i e d - m o n t , m a i n t a i n e d h e h a d i n v e n t e d t h e t y p e w r i t e r already in 1831. However, his claim wasn't taken seriously if it's true that Ravizza kept o n p r o d u c i n g t y p e w r i t e r s until 1881 and that he pre- sented the machine to the Esposizione di Milano, in the same year. Ravizza's inven- t i o n w a s n e v e r m a s s - p r o - duced because no one really understood how revolution- a r y i t w a s . T h a t i s , u n t i l A m e r i c a n C h r i s t o p h e r L a t h a m S h o l e s b u i l t a typewriter prototype for gun maker Remington, perhaps inspired by Ravizza's own work. This is why Ravizza's name is unknown to most, while Latham Sholes is con- sidered the true father of the typewriter, a demonstration of how it isn't only ingenuity that counts, but also the con- text in which we use it. LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE The typewriter Old-fashioned typewriters. Not many know that the first typewriter was invented in Italy (Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons agreement. Author: Larousse mensuel illustré, 1911. License: Public Domain) A bowl of saffron stems (Duccio Co/Dreamstime) O u r M a d e i n I t a l y : t h e I t a l i a n s a ff r o n o f Safranum

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